Building structure



R E L s s E G BUILDING' STRUCTURE Filed April 16, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1March 5, 1940. s. GEssLER 2,192,814

BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed April 16, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar.5, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l BUILDING STRUCTURE ApplicationApril l6, 1938, Serial No. 202,540

5 Claims.

This invention relates and methods.

More particularly, the invention relates to the provision of durablesheets or slabs of material which are readily adapted throughinstrumentalities of relatively simple means also embodied in theinvention to be secured to a wall, exteriorly or interiorly thereof, forproviding a neat iinishing surface as well as a weather protection, thesheets or slabs being secured to the wall in such manner as to providehighly eflicient insulation as well as providing for air-conditioning ofthe interiors of buildings with which such slabs are associated.

While many different kinds of material are now used in the externalfinish of buildings and particularly the sides thereof, neverthelessnone fullls all the various requirement*L of such structures.

Finishing or siding material for buildings, in order to fulll the variedrequirements of such structure, should (a) withstand the Weatherelements, (b) have a high insulating capacity, (c) be impervious tomoisture, (d) be resistant to the collection of dirt, (e) not requireperiodic applications of paint, and (f) present a permanent attractiveappearance.

It is well known that no one of the many materials now used for thesides of buildings fits all these requirements. Thus Wooden weatherboarding is of expensive maintenance in that it requires periodicpainting, stucco lacks permanence and in many instances is notimpervious to moisture, shingles present substantially the sameobjection as wooden weather boarding, and While the more recentlyadopted forms of siding,

to building structures such as asbestos, more nearly iulll the maximumrequirements, still such material, due to its rough surface, readilycollects dirt whereby the appearance thereof is impaired and whichcannot be easily restored.

Furthermore, it is highly important in structures of this kind,particularly when utilized with a solid wall such as masonry, that adead air space be provided between the siding and the Wall to which itis attached whereby to eiiiciently insulate the building as well asprevent condensation of moisture internally of the siding with resultantimpairment of said siding.

It is also important when using siding materia?. particularly of theweather board type unerein the successive sheets or slabs lap, that anaccurate engagement be provided at such laps whereby to effectivelyprevent the ingress of moisture to the space between the siding and thewall to which it is secured.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide sheets ofmaterial adapted for the sides and roofs of buildings which are of such5 construction as to substantially fulfill the above noted requirementsin structures of this kind.

A further object of the invention is the provision of sheets of materialhaving dirt-excluding and weather-resisting external surfaces, the 10sheets being beveled for lapping engagement on the Walls or roofs ofbuildings and being provided with suitable clip-receiving recesses forready application to and positive retention on such walls or roofs. w

A still further object of the invention is a novel method of applyingsuch sheets to the walls of the building whereby to provide for maximuminsulation as Well as to provide for ventilation of the building towhich such sheets may be secured.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide elongatedchannel members adapted for ready application to the walls of buildings,and novel clip members adapted for ready application to the channels,together with novel nishing or surfacing sheets which are provided withrecesses adapted to receive such clips thereby providing a finishingsurface for such Walls which in addition to fulfilling the usualrequirements of such structures provides dead air spaces between saidchannels, the Wall, and. finishing material which materially aids ininsulating the building as well as'providing for the circulation of airtherethrough in Ventilating the interior of such buildings.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and objects of theinvention, reference should be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying 40 drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional perspective view of a Wall disclosing theapplication of my improved slabs or weather boarding thereto.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of a wall 45 disclosing the novelconstruction of the siding sheets as well as the novel means and methodof securing same to the wall.

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of one of the improved channelsembodied in my invention together with one of the sheet-attaching clipsoperatively engaged therewith.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through a channel of modifiedconstruction and disclosing a modified form of clip in top plan view.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental vertical sectional view of a wall disclosing amodified form of siding or finishing material together with a modifiedform of clip for maintaining such material in applied position to theWall.

Fig. 6 is an inside elevational view of the sheets of material shown inFig. 5, and particularly illustrating a novel slot construction forreceiving the said clip.

Fig. '7 is a fragmental vertical section disclosing a further embodimentof my invention.

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of finishing sheets or slabs arrangedsubstantially in the manner represented in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a fragmental perspective view of a roof disclosing shinglesheets constructed in accordance with my invention and applied to suchroof through the instrumentality of my improved channel and clipmembers.

Fig. 10 is a sectional perspective, more or less diagrammatic in nature,illustrating a novel method of ventilation made possible through theutilization of my improved siding material together with the novelchannel construction for separating the same from the wall.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, and wherein likecharacters designate like parts, the letter W generally designates awall construction of any well known form and which may be of wood,brick, masonry or any other construction so far as the adaptation of myinvention thereto is concerned. The novel sheets or slabs in accordancewith my invention are, when the same are to be used as siding, in thegeneral form of weather boarding now in use and each is designated at I0on the drawings, particularly Figs. 1 and 2. The sheets or slabs III maybe constructed of any desired lengths and widths, and, as is moreclearly illustrated in Fig. 2, each has an outer plane face II which isbeveled or inclined relative to the adjacent face of the wallconstruction to which the sheets are secured. The rear face I2 of eachsheet is parallel with the adjacent wall face from the upper relativelythin edge of the sheet to a point I3 adjacent the lower edge of thesheet, from which point the rear face extends to the lower edge inparallelism with the outer face II, as is indicated at I4.

'Ihis construction permits lapping of the sheets as is clearly indicatedin Fig. 2 with the outer exposed surface simulating ordinary weatherboarding and with the rear inner faces in substantial parallelism withthe wall construction throughout the vertical heights of the lappingside sheets. l

The sheets or slabs I0 desirably may be of the construction disclosed inmy Patent No. 2,134,389, issued October 25, 1938, wherein each comprisesa tough fibrous core I5 enclosed within a sheet of glass-fused steel I6,as is illustrated in Fig. 2.

However, the invention is not limited to the use of this specificmaterial as the sheets or slabs may be constructed from enameledgalvanized sheet iron, pre-cast cement, terra-cotta, sawed stone, orglass slabs.

The improved sheets II) are in accordance with my invention secured tothe wall W by a novel method and means which includes a plurality ofmetal channels I'l which in a preferred embodiment thereof arepreferably of the construction illustrated in Fig. 3, in which gure achannel of substantially full scale is illustrated, such channelspreferably being about one inch deep and one and a half inches wide andeach comprising a rear wall I8, side walls I9, and front flangesdefining a slot 2| therebetween.

These channels I1, particularly, when utilized with longitudinallydisposed sheets are arranged vertically and in practicev are spacedapproxi- 5 mately sixteen inches apart, as is more clearly representedin Fig. l, the channels being apertured at suitable intervals in theirrear Walls I8 to receive screws or other attaching elements 22 forrigidly attaching such channels to the wall W.

It is, of course, to be understood that the wall is thoroughlywaterproofed prior to the application of these channels and that theouter faces of the channels are accurately leveled or alined prior tofinal tightening thereof by the screws 22 whereby to provide for easyassemblage of the sheets or slabs as Well as an accurate finish whenapplied.

My invention further includes novel clip elements 24, one of which ismore clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 and which embodies a substantiallyrectangular base 25 substantially of the transverse contour of theinterior of the channel, a neck 26 which extends through the slot 2I inthe channel, and an upturned end or hook element 21. These clip elementsare secured within the channels in vertically spaced relation, thespacing being of course in accordance with the type of siding materialto be employed together with the position of the recessing, about to bedescribed, in such siding for receivingsuch clips.

In order to maintain the clips in vertically spaced relation in thechannels as well as to afford vertical support for the sheets ofmaterial the sides I9 of the channels are provided with small holes 28which are arranged in vertically spaced pairs, with those of each pairapproximately one-half inch apart and in vertically offset relationsubstantially equal to the thickness of the base 25 of the clip 24.These holes are adapted for the reception of nails or like elements asindicated more particularly in Fig. 3 wherein the front nails 29 extendunder the base 25 and the rear nails 30 extend over the base 25, thefront nails 29 functioning as fulcrums and the rotative movement of theclips thereon due to the weight of the sheets being resisted by thenails 30.

A modied form of channel I'I is illustrated in Fig. 4 which embodies arear wall I8' and forwardly converging side walls I9. With this form ofchannel the clip 24 will be modied to the extent of having asubstantially triangular base portion 25', as is clearly illustrated inFig. 4. 'Ihe slabs or sheets I0 are each provided with recesses 32adjacent their lower or thicker edges and with openings 33 adjacenttheirupper or thinner edges, the recesses 32 communicating with verticalslots 34. v

With this arrangement of recesses and openings, together with the clipsbefore described, the sheets I0 are readily applied in succession bymoving same horizontally with the clips of adjacent vertical seriesalined with recesses 32 and openings 33 whereupon, after receiving theclips within such recesses and openings, the sheets are loweredvertically with the result that the hooks 21 engage within the slots 34thereby positively maintaining the sheets in engagement with the flanges20 of the supporting channels I'I.

When utilizing sheets or slabs l0' which are of uniform thickness andhave their edges in abutting relation as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6,Clips 24a 0f Substantially T-shape in side view may be utilized. thesheets lo' when utilizing such TS form of clips must, of course, beprovided with recesses such as illustrated in Fig. 6 wherein the matingrecesses 35 communicate with slots 36 whereby the sheets Ill may behorizontally positioned on the clips and thereafter moved into theplanes thereof for shifting the clips from the recesses 35 into eitherof the slots 36.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate the application of finishing sheets or slabsIlla which are abutted and with their joints extending vertically. Thesheets arranged in this manner may of course be readily attached to thechannels Il orl l1 in the manner above described in connection withsheets lll; however, the upper ends of such sheets particularly whenvisible may be secured in position by clips 24b which lie ush with theupper edges of the sheets and have their hooks extending verticallydownwardly within slots in said sheets. 'Ihese clips of course may beengaged within the slots by movement of the clips themselves after whichthey may be retained by means similar to the nails 29 and 3U heretoforedescribed.

In Fig. 9 is illustrated a fragment of a roof construction illustratingsheets in the form of shingles and which are preferably constructed inthe same manner as the sheets I0 illustrated in Fig. 2. The sheets orshingles 38 are secured in position in the same manner as sheets I 0through the intervention of the channels I1 as illustrated in Fig. 9.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the channels l1 not onlyprovide a means for accurately and firmly securing the sheets inposition but due to their depth provide an air space, as is clearlyindicated 1n Figs. 1 and 2, and which extends throughout the verticalheights of the channels and may be made to extend all the way around abuilding by providing the side walls I9 of the channels with suitablyspaced apertures 40, as illustrated in Fig. 2, thereby providing for thecirculation of air transverse of the length of the channels. However,the relatively small gaps at the lapping points of the sheets willpermit circulation of air between the various channels.

This air space provides a highly eicient insulation as Well as otherwiseavoiding condensation of moisture on thev interior of the sheets I0which, of course, would result in deterioration of their structure.

Furthermore, this air space avoids the present necessity of furring andlathing the inner surfaces of outside walls to avoid dampnesspenetrating the plaster, as with the present construction the plastercan be applied directly to the inner surface of the wall Without anypossibility of dampness coming therethrough.

My invention further includes a novel method together with certainsimplified structures for causing the circulation of air through thedead air space above referred to as well as a room confined within thewalls' to f hich the sheets are applied, thereby eectively Ventilatingthe interior of the building.

In Fig. 10 is illustrated more or less diagrammatically the method ofventilation above referred to. As shown in this figure the upper sheetl0 is provided with openings 4l at suitable spaced intervals for puttingthe dead air space between the channels I1 into communication with theatmosphere, these openings preferably being disposed under the eaves ofthe roof in order to prevent rain from entering such openings.

The base-board B is provided with one or more registers or otherselectively controlled air-inlet openings 42 which are in communicationwith the air space between channels I1 adjacent the bottoms thereof anda suitable shutter controlled opening 43 is provided, preferably .in theupper window facing f which is in communication with the atmospherethrough a suitable screen 44.

With this arrangement, cool air will enter openings 4I, move downwardlybetween the channels I1 and enter the room through the registers 42 asis indicated by the arrows in Fig. 10, the warmer air will escape fromthe room through the openings 43 as is also indicated by the arrows inFig. 10 thereby providing an effective circulation of air through theroom without the presence of endangering drafts commonly experienced invarious efforts toward ventilation of rooms.

From the foregoing disclosure it will be seen that I have, in accordancewith this invention, provided a novel formi of finishing sheet orWeather board which is highly efficient in itself, together with simplemeans for securing same to walls of various constructions in such manneras to provide highly ecient insulation as well as to provide for a novelmethod of eiiiciently Ventilating the room or rooms within a buildingwith which my improved sheets are used.

While I have disclosed but certain specific embodiments of my invention,same are of course to be considered as illustrative only, and notrestrictive, the scope of the invention being dened in the sub-joinedclaims.

What I claim and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A surfacing structure for walls comprising sheets of material havingadjacent edges overlapped, a plurality of spaced openings in one of thesheets within the range of overlap, a plurality of clip receivingrecesses in the adjacent sheet in alinement'with the openings in thefirst sheet, and clip members secured to the wall extended throug theopenings, and interlocked with the second sheet Within said recesses.

2. In weatherboard construction for buildings,4

elongated sheets of material for attachment to a wall of a building,said sheets being relatively thick at one edge and relatively thin atthe opposite edge for overlapping at their adjacent edges, each sheethaving spaced recesses terminating in clip engaging slots adjacent itsthicker edge and having spaced openings adjacent itsthinner edge for-alinement with the recesses in an overlapped adjacent sheet, the alinedopenings and recesses being adapted to receive clips secured to saidwall with portions thereof engaged within said slots for holding saidsheets in fixed overlapping relation.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 wherein said sheets have theiropposite faces parallel adjacent said recesses and have their oppositefaces inclined adjacent said openings.

4. In a building Wall construction, a wall proper, spaced parallelchannel members secured to the outer surface of said wall proper,surfacing material engaging said channel members for providing a finishfor the wall, the surfacing material having overlapped edges, pre-formedrecesses in said edges, and clip members disposed within the channelmembers and including angular portions detachably engaged in saidrecesses for rigidly holding the surfacing material in fixed positionand maintaining the same in engagement with the channel members.

5. A building Wall construction comprising a wall proper, outwardlyfacing channel members Secured to the outer surface of said wall properin parallel spaced relation, clips having base portions adju'stablysupported within said channel members and also ha\ri11g angularextensions, and surfacing sheets in contact with said channel 5 membersand having pre-formed recesses therein detachably engaged by saidangular extensions.

and elongated members removably engaged in apertures in opposite sidesof the channel members and contacting opposite sides of the baseportions of the clips for adjustably supporting same.

SAMUEL GESSLER.

